Britain and Israel have deep and historic bonds. Following the Balfour Declaration in 1917, Britain was an important supporter of the creation of a Jewish national home in Palestine. Since Israel’s establishment in 1948, Britain has established a bilateral relationship with Israel based on shared values, strategic interests, commercial trade, and broad contacts between British and Israeli peoples.

The connection between Britain and Israel is anchored in the shared values of liberty and democracy. Israel has long been recognised by Britain as the only true democracy in the Middle East, and an ally against anti-Western forces in the region. The two countries cooperate on issues of security and intelligence, a relationship that has increased in importance in recent years.

Israel is an important partner for Britain in tackling the threat of global terrorism and countering the threat posed by Iran. British and Israeli forces also face common challenges in the form of asymmetric conflicts and British forces have learnt from Israel’s experience in the challenge of tackling irregular forces in urban environments.

Britain has long enjoyed good trade relations with Israel. Annual bilateral trade between Britain and Israel has grown rapidly in recent years and reached £3.75 billion in 2011. Significant bilateral investment also continues to grow, with over 300 Israeli companies already operating inside Britain.

There are also strong cultural ties between Britain and Israel, including in academia. Over 1,000 Israelis study in the UK and over 8,000 Israelis take British degree courses through distance learning in Israel. In 2009, Israeli biochemist Ada Yonath, based at the world renowned Weizmannn Institute of Science, was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Cambridge based researcher Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, and American Thomas A. Steitz. They were recognised for their research into chemical processes within cells. The Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX) was established in 2008 to build stronger academic links between the two countries. In 2013, Foreign Secretary William Hague signed a memorandum of understanding with Israeli Science Minister Yaacov Peri to further strengthen scientific cooperation between the two countries.

In addition to the strategic, economic and cultural links, Britain also continues to play an important role in Middle East peacemaking, supporting a two-state solution and the rights of both Jews and Palestinians to self-determination.

There are also deep links between British and Israeli peoples. A close connection with Israel forms an important part of the identity of many British Jews. Many have family in Israel and visit the country on a regular basis. In 2012, more than 200,000 British tourists visited Israel.